Notre Dame Commit Profile: Tight End Jack Larsen
Notre Dame is already on the board at tight end in the 2024 class, with the Irish landing North Carolina standout Jack Larsen. Here's a look at the Fighting Irish commit.
JACK LARSEN PROFILE
Hometown/High School: Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Catholic
Height/Weight: 6-3, 215
IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 250 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 4.5
Player Comp: Nick O'Leary, Florida State
2022 Stats: 37 catches, 686 yards, 10 touchdowns
Recruited By: Gerad Parker
Offers: Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Michigan, Florida, Florida State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Arkansas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Michigan State, NC State, Kentucky, Louisville, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Maryland, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Duke
RECRUITING RANKINGS
ESPN: 4-star - No. 17 tight end
Rivals: 4-star - No. 17 tight end
247Sports: 3-star - No. 31 tight end
On3: 3-star - No. 44 tight end
247Sports Composite: 3-star - No. 438 overall - No. 27 tight end
On3 Consensus: 3-star - No. 472 overall - No. 31 tight end
FILM ANALYSIS
Let's start with the reasons that Larsen doesn't rank higher. He's not very big and he's not an overly explosive athlete. He doesn't have the size that made players like Michael Mayer and Cole Kmet so effective, and he lacks the speed of a Tommy Tremble. Get past that and you'll see that while the "traits" might not be elite, this is a really talented and productive tight end prospect.
What makes Larsen so good is the fact he has a great feel for the game and his ball skills are as good as any tight end in the country. Larsen is an efficient route runner and he's athletic enough to get open in the intermediate and short zones. What I love about his game is that even if Larsen is covered the quarterback can still chuck the ball up and give him a chance, because the odds of him outplaying defenders for the ball is quite high.
Larsen's ball skills also grade out as elite. His timing as a leaper is outstanding, his hands are strong and he's quite strong at the catch point. I also love the focus and concentration that Larsen shows when he's in traffic or has defenders closing in on him. These are important traits for a player that seems to lack top-level speed.
The Charlotte Catholic standout is a more than willing blocker, especially in space. As he fills out and gets stronger he projects to be a high quality blocker at the next level.
NOTRE DAME FIT
Notre Dame basically has two tight end positions. There is the traditional attached role and there is a position that moves around, plays in a wing, plays in the slot and moves around a lot before the snap. The latter is where Larsen fits into the Notre Dame offense. His route running and ball skills could make him a dangerous third-down weapon, and as he gets stronger his ability to thrive in the run game will take a job. His feel for the game, route running and hands give him a chance to out-play the ranking I have for him right now.
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2024 Commit Rankings - Offense
2024 Commit Rankings - Defense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense
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